Author's Notes: Hey hey! Just wanted to let y'all know that I started a new fanfic. A long time ago I talked about it in my AN, but I never got it posted until now. It's based in the RPG world of White Wolf's Tales of Exalted, and it follows our RPG campaigns, all from my character, Kikyo's, point of view. Spiffy, ne? I'd really appreciate it if any of you guys took a little time out of your busy schedules to read it...it's yet lacking any reviews at all *sob*! Of course, you don't have to. Goodness knows, just keeping up with Arelle is enough for me to appreciate you in itself!

Well, love y'all! Hope you enjoy!

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"…and that's why you shouldn't stress yourself when casting a spell. Just relax—don't push it, or it won't have as much stability or power," Moren continued, pacing in front of Arelle. "It really seems like a simple concept, but you'd be surprised how easy it is to forget it when you actually need to cast a spell."

Moren stopped and looked at Arelle. She sat cross-legged on the ground before him, but her eyes showed that her mind was elsewhere.

"Arelle?" Moren asked.

She jerked her gaze to him. "Yes?"

"Are you paying attention?" he asked, frowning.

"Oh! I'm sorry. I was thinking of something else…" Arelle said.

"Well, try to pay more attention," Moren said sternly.

She blushed in embarrassment. "Yes, of course," she said, staring at the ground before her.

Moren paused. He sighed as he sat down beside her. "Sorry, it's just been a long day," he said to Arelle.

"Oh, no! I'm sorry. I should have been paying more attention," Arelle said.

Moren paused again, letting his head rest on one of his hands. He sighed. "I suppose the whole Cutthroat thing has just gotten me rather down lately. Sorry."

Arelle looked at him. "It's ok, Moren. I think it's got us all down recently," Arelle said.

"Yeah, I guess so," Moren said.

Arelle paused. "How about I fetch us some fresh, cool water from the river?" Arelle asked. "Wouldn't that be nice?"

Moren smiled. "That'd be nice, Arelle. It'd give us a short break from our training. I think we need it," Moren said.

Arelle smiled as she got up. "Ok! I'll see you in a little while then!" she said, walking off towards the river.

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Moren sighed as he rolled onto his back. Arelle had gone to fetch water from the river for them a while ago, and he was beginning to wonder if he should have gone with her. Oh well, it was too late now. He sighed.

Suddenly, he heard a piercing scream echo through the forest. He jumped to his feet reflexively, recognizing the voice as Arelle's. Arelle was in danger! Moren ran off in the direction Arelle's voice came from, leaving his pack behind him. His mind was racing—why did Arelle scream? She must be in trouble! His heart pounded as he brushed through the thick underbrush, thorns ripping his pants and shirt, but he didn't notice—his mind was on Arelle. Coming upon a thick, impenetrable briar patch, he jumped into a near-by tree and began swinging from limb to limb, above the thick underbrush. Before too long, he reached the river, but what he saw there made his heart race.

Arelle was nowhere in sight, but on the ground was an off-white parchment—covered in blood. Moren trembled as he read the words on the parchment, his shaking hands making the words on it nearly indecipherable. It read as follows:

Well, Aka, it looks like you're in quite a bind now! In case you were wondering—yes, I've stolen your beloved "companion". This, Aka, is why you shouldn't have people you truly care about. They only get in the way. They're such easy targets!

Of course, this might not have happened if you had helped us find the treasure. I know you know where it is. You wanted it for yourself, so of course you wouldn't tell us! However, now I'll give you two choices. They're really quite simple, actually. 1, you help us find the treasure, and we give you back your friend, that accursed fire caster. 2, you keep the treasure for yourself, and we get to kill your friend nice and slow and painful like.

The choice is yours. I'll give you seven days to make your decision. After that, I can't guaranty your friend's safety, I'm afraid. Meet me at the place few else know of—you should know where I mean— with your answer seven days from now. I'll be waiting for your answer, Aka the Scarlet Cutthroat.

-Respitas

Moren clenched his fist, crumpling the parchment, his face twisted in anger. Seeing the tracks of the Cutthroats going off into the forest, he took off after them with great speed. His anger had gotten the better of him, and though he knew he should tell Akinen and Lilliah, he was too enraged to stop and think.

Moren's mind burned in fury. How dare they! He would make them pay.

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Lilliah stopped abruptly from her sprinting, panting loudly. Her chest hurt from running so fast for so long and her brow was covered in sweat.

"Where can he be?" she thought to herself. "I've been running for nearly an hour!" she sighed, her heart still beating furiously, pounding inside her chest. Though she wished she could stop running, she knew inside that she would never forgive herself if she let Akinen get away.

Checking the tracks below her, she saw that she was still on the right track. She wasn't a Ranger, but she was glad that she had at least learned how to follow tracks. Any Barbarian could do that, after all, since they did so much hunting.

Preparing to start running again, she stopped abruptly when she heard something in the bushes ahead of her. Jerking up, she saw the form was a man. Her eyes widened as she realized it was Akinen sitting before her. Running up to meet him, she stopped in her tracks as she heard him speak.

"Go back, lass," he said solemnly, not even looking up at her. She blinked. His face looked so solemn. He looked…almost angry.

"Akinen?" Lilliah asked, taking a step towards him

"Go back, lass," he said, a bit louder this time. She stared at him in confusion.

Neither of them moved.

"No, I won't!" Lilliah said forcefully. Akinen looked up at her, a bit surprised at her firmness.

"I'm not going back, Akinen," she continued.

"Didn't ye read my letter, lass?" he asked. "I don't want it to be this way, either, but it has to be like this!"

Lilliah knelt in front of him, staring into his eyes. "No, it doesn't," she said. "It can't be like this. It won't be like this. That's what I promised myself, long ago. I won't let it be like this."

"Lass, ye can't change it! I would change it myself, if I could, bu—"

"No!" Lilliah cut Akinen off. "No. You won't leave me again. You won't abandon me again, Akinen. Don't you understand? I will never leave your side. Never. I don't care if you return to Arelle and Moren. I don't care if you go into the depths of hell itself. I will follow you there, Akinen. Wherever you go, I will follow you, Akinen. Isn't that what I told you before? I will never leave you," Lilliah said, taking his hand in hers.

Akinen stared at her, their eyes locked. Then he looked down and shook his head.

"No, I won't do that to ye, Lilliah. I won't take away yer freedom like that," he said.

Lilliah furrowed her brows in confusion. "Akinen, you're not taking away my freedom! I've chosen to do this. The decision was mine!"

"It was a foolish decision then!" Akinen exclaimed, looking into her eyes again. She stared at him in horror, fearing what he would say next. He sighed, looking down again.

"Akinen…" Lilliah said, tears beginning to fall down her cheeks.

Akinen sighed again. "Lilliah, no matter how I feel about ye, I won't take away yer freedom. Don't ye see? If I left ye now, ye could go home. Home, Lilliah. The place where ye belong," Akinen said, solemnly. "I wish I could go home, to the place where I belonged. But there is no place I belong, Lilliah. I will never fit in in Felwithe again. Never. When I left, I knew there was no returning. I left my home, never to return.

"But ye, lass. Ye are different. Ye still have a home. All ye need to do is go back to it. But for ye to go back, first ye have to give up on me. Nothing good will ever come of me, lass. I'm nothing but a burden. Go home, Lilliah. Go home…before it's too late for ye, too," Akinen ended.

Lilliah stared into his eyes, tears falling freely now. Suddenly, she embraced him, sobbing into his shoulder. He was surprised, but he let her sob into his shoulder, patting her back reassuringly.

"Is that…why you always left me…Akinen?" she sobbed. "You thought you were…taking away my freedom? My freedom…to go home?" Lilliah asked through her tears.

He paused. "Yes, lass. That's why I tried to make ye return home after I saved ye from the Cutthroats, even though ye wanted to stay with me. And that's one of the reasons I left you with Arelle and Moren. I just…can't stand…to make ye live like I live. To be an outcast…never have a home…That's just one of the worst fates. I couldn't have it happen to ye. Especially not because of me."

"Akinen, didn't I already tell you?" Lilliah sobbed. "I don't want to live in Halas with my kind! I don't want to leave you! Halas isn't my home, Akinen. My home is with you."

Akinen paused. "Ye say that…but what if you regret it later? What if, in years to come, ye decide ye want to go to a place where you fit in—yer home. And what if, even now, deep in your heart, ye really want to go home to a place where ye belong? And ye just think you want to be with me? I can't take away yer chance to fit in somewhere, lass. I ruined my chance to ever fit in with my own kind. Ye still have the chance, and I can't take that away from ye. I just…can't."

"Akinen!" Lilliah exclaimed, pulling away from him, "After all I've said, and you still believe I would be happier in Halas?! I'm tired of that! I told you I want to be with you, and I wasn't lying! I love you, Akinen. To live without you by my side would be torture. I know this, because I lived without you before.

"Five years I lived without you. I questioned myself over and over again. And then, I decided. Yes, I decided, and it all became clear after that.

"I don't care if you love someone else, Akinen. I don't care if all I will ever be is the Barbarian who follows you around wherever you go. All I want is to be near you, Akinen. I never want to leave your side. Even as just your companion. I want to be by your side. You are my home, Akinen. With you is where I belong. I will never leave you."

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Heh...Notice how I've perfected the technique of ALWAYS leaving TERRIBLE cliffhangers? Just like the proffessionals, ne? Or at least I like to tell myself that...^^

Time to reply to reviews!

Blue the Echidna: Ahh No Akinen! He can't leave! Evil cutthroats and their rules... o_o I hope Lilliah can catch him! OO
Amai's Reply: 'Twas quite a cliffhanger, ne? But it all turned out right in the end, as always ^^ I can't write a thing that doesn't turn out fluffy in the end! *sigh* 'Tis a curse, I suppose...

Lady Aniviel Greenleaf: Aka cant leave!! Curse cutthroats im gonna go kill them on EQ now!! Hope Lillah catches him!
Amai's Reply: More comments on Akinen leaving ^^ I'm glad it had a big affect! At least no one said anything like, "I'm sure glad Akinen's leavin, I hated him..."